Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences (CPNAS) will partner with Leonardo, the International Society for the Arts, Sciences, and Technology, to present D.C. Art and Science Evening Rendezvous (DASER), a monthly discussion forum on art and science projects in the national capital region. DASERs will provide the public with a snapshot of the cultural environment of the region and will foster interdisciplinary networking. The monthly series begins on Feb. 16, 2011, at 6 p.m. at the Keck Center, 500 Fifth St., N.W. Photo IDs and reservations are required for admittance.

Historically, the artist has communicated, educated, and preserved the ideas of science. But how is the work of scientists, engineers, physicians, and experts from other disciplines informed by the creative processes of artists? How do artists use science and technology to advance the creative and cultural discourse? In the D.C. metropolitan area, practitioners from many institutions, including universities, museums, and embassies, are interested in the ways that various disciplines inform one another with tangible results.

Each DASER will feature presentations by such practitioners along with time for discussion and socializing. At the Feb. 16 kick-off event, there will be presentations by Lee Boot, associate director, Imaging Research Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Carol Christian, scientist, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore; Gunalan Nadarajan, vice provost, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore; and Thomas Skalak, vice president for research and professor of biomedical engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville.